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Chinese police 'shoot 14 dead' during Xinjiang riot

Chinese police have apparently shot dead 14 people during a riot which also saw two officers killed. The police crackdown in the western region of Xinjiang was "within the law", a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Hua Chunying said assailants "used explosive devices to attack police officers" and attacked them with knives.

The incident is the latest in the string of deadly clashes between the Muslim Uighur population and the state in China's western Xinjiang region.

Xinjiang province is on the border with Kyrgyzstan Credit: Google Maps

Sweden-based Uighur activist Dilxat Raxit said the incident was the latest example of how Chinese security forces are "increasingly opting to kill suspects at the scene rather than capturing them and putting them on trial."